Fecal leakage and contamination control during poultry processing

Abstract

Fecal leakage and contamination from the vent opening of an animal carcass during slaughtering and processing is reduced or eliminated by applying a curable adhesive composition to the vent opening and permitting the applied curable composition to cure to form a cured firmly adherent vent seal after de-feathering has been completed or has progressed substantially. The curable sealing compositions are safe in the fully-cured state and do not liberate undesirable materials during curing.

I claim: 
     
       1. In a method for processing live poultry to provide a poultry meat product including the steps of slaughtering the live poultry, scalding the slaughtered poultry, mechanically de-feathering the scalded poultry and thereafter eviscerating the de-feathered poultry, the improvement comprising applying an effective amount of a curable sealing composition to the vent of the slaughtered animal and curing said sealing composition to provide a cured, firmly-adherent substantially leak-free vent seal, said applying step being carried out only after the slaughtering step, the scalding step and at least an initial de-feathering step with mechanical pickers, said applying step being before the eviscerating step to prevent leakage of fecal materials from the vent during processing, and said carrying out of said applying step only after the de-feathering with mechanical pickers prevents rupturing of gut tissue during such de-feathering with mechanical pickers. 
     
     
       2. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein said poultry is selected from the group consisting of chickens, game hens, ducks and turkeys. 
     
     
       3. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein said de-feathering step has a plurality of plucking stages, and said applying step is initiated after all of said plurality of plucking stages have occurred. 
     
     
       4. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein said de-feathering step has a plurality of stages, including an initial stage and final stage, and said applying step is initiated after said initial stage and before said final stage. 
     
     
       5. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein said de-feathering step has a plurality of stages including an initial stage, an intermediate stage and a final stage, and said applying step is initiated after said initial and intermediate stages and before said final stage. 
     
     
       6. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein said de-feathering step is carried out in a single stage, and said applying step is initiated after said single stage. 
     
     
       7. In a method for processing live poultry to provide a poultry meat product, said method comprising the steps of: slaughtering the live poultry;   scalding the slaughtered poultry;   suctioning the cloaca and lower intestines of the poultry to remove fecal material;   mechanically de-feathering the poultry in at least one de-feathering stage including an initial mechanical de-feathering stage; and   eviscerating the de-feathered poultry;   the improvement comprising:   sealing the cloacal vent opening in situ with a curable adhesive sealing composition before said eviscerating step and only after at least said initial mechanical de-feathering stage to prevent rupturing of gut tissue during de-feathering with mechanical pickers and to substantially prevent leakage of fecal material from the vent opening during subsequent processing.   
     
     
       8. The method in accordance with claim 7, wherein said de-feathering step has a plurality of plucking stages, and said applying step is initiated after all of said plurality of plucking stages have occurred. 
     
     
       9. The method in accordance with claim 7, wherein said de-feathering step has a plurality of stages, including said initial de-feathering stage and a final de-feathering stage, and said sealing step is initiated after said initial de-feathering stage and before said final de-feathering stage. 
     
     
       10. The method in accordance with claim 7, wherein said de-feathering step has an initial de-feathering stage, an intermediate de-feathering stage and a final de-feathering stage, and said sealing step is initiated after said initial and intermediate de-feathering stages and before said final de-feathering stage. 
     
     
       11. In a semi-automated apparatus for processing a live poultry animal to provide a poultry meat product including: a slaughtering station having slaughtering means whereat the poultry animal is slaughtered to provide a freshly slaughtered carcass;   a scalding station having a vessel with a high temperature, aqueous scalding bath and means for submerging the freshly slaughtered bird carcass into said scalding bath to provide a scalded bird carcass;   a plucking station having at least one mechanical plucking assembly whereat the scalded bird carcass is mechanically plucked and de-feathered;   an eviscerating station including cutter means and viscera removal means whereat the plucked carcass is cut and its viscera are removed from the plucked carcass;   a washing station whereat the eviscerated carcass is rinsed and washed to provide a clean carcass; and   carcass conveyor means for successively indexing the freshly slaughtered carcass from one station to the next station in the processing apparatus;   the improvement comprising:   said apparatus further including a sealing station disposed upstream of the eviscerating station and only downstream of said mechanical plucking assembly to thereby prevent rupturing of gut tissue which otherwise occurs at said plucking station when said sealing station is disposed upstream of the mechanical plucking assembly, said sealing station having applicator means for applying a curable adhesive composition to the cloacal vent opening of the carcass, the adhesive composition being curable to form a cured, firmly-adherent cloacal vent seal,   whereby, leakage of fecal material from the vent opening of the carcass at downstream work stations is substantially reduced or prevented.   
     
     
       12. The processing apparatus in accordance with claim 11, wherein said plucking station includes a plurality of plucking units including an upstream plucking and a downstream plucking unit, and said sealing station is disposed downstream of said upstream plucking unit and upstream of said downstream plucking unit. 
     
     
       13. The processing apparatus in accordance with claim 12, wherein said plucking station further includes an intermediate plucking unit between said upstream and downstream plucking units, and said sealing station is between said intermediate and downstream plucking units. 
     
     
       14. The processing apparatus in accordance with claim 11, wherein said plucking station includes a plurality of plucking units, and said sealing station is downstream of all of said plucking units. 
     
     
       15. In a method for processing a live animal to provide a meat product including the steps of slaughtering the animal, mechanically de-feathering the animal, and thereafter eviscerating the de-feathered animal, the improvement comprising: applying an effective amount of a curable sealing composition to the vent of the de-feathered animal and curing said sealing composition to provide a cured, firmly-adherent, substantially leak-free vent seal, said applying step being before the evisceration step and only after the mechanical de-feathering step to prevent rupturing of gut tissue during said mechanical de-feathering and to prevent leakage of fecal materials from the vent during subsequent processing.   
     
     
       16. The method in accordance with claim 15, wherein said curable sealing composition is a liquid and is applied in the form of drops. 
     
     
       17. The method in accordance with claim 15, wherein the method of applying the curable sealing composition in said applying step is selected from the group consisting essentially of dropping, dripping, brushing, coating, wicking, spraying, painting, spreading, injecting, rolling, pipetting, knifing and wiping methods. 
     
     
       18. The method in accordance with claim 15, wherein said curable sealing composition is curable in seconds after its application under processing conditions. 
     
     
       19. The method in accordance with claim 15, wherein said cured vent seal remains substantially leak free and intact during said evisceration step and during additional processing steps performed after said evisceration step, even upon exposure to high humidity processing conditions. 
     
     
       20. The method in accordance with claim 15, wherein said curable sealing composition cures to form a cured vent seal which is safe. 
     
     
       21. The method in accordance with claim 15, wherein said curable sealing composition comprises an anaerobic adhesive. 
     
     
       22. The method in accordance with claim 15, wherein said curable sealing composition comprises a cyanoacrylate adhesive. 
     
     
       23. The method in accordance with claim 15, wherein said live animal is a chicken. 
     
     
       24. The method in accordance with claim 15, wherein said live animal is a turkey.